'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The second round of auditions for ABC's American Idol was held in Nashville, with a lot of talent in store for the judges. Episode 2 of the show saw contestants like Isaiah Jaay, Kenedi Anderson, Kelsie Dolin, among many others, who managed to impress the viewers. One among these singers was New York native Christian Guardino.
American Idol contestant Christian Guardino left the judges in awe of his singing. The singer was born with a degenerative disease that left him legally blind when he was just six months old. But his condition did not get in the way of the star serenading the viewers with his soulful voice, which also earned him a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Who is American Idol contestant Christian Guardino?
American Idol contestant Christian Guardino is a crooner from Long Island, New York. The 20-year-old singer has already been making his presence known in the industry ever since he first appeared on NBC's America's Got Talent.
Guardino was 16 when he first auditioned for the talent hunt show. He also received the rare "Golden Buzzer" from Howie Mandel after he performed his rendition of Jackson 5’s Who’s Loving You. While entering straight into the semi-finals, he showcased his talent by singing Ed Sheeran’s Make it Rain and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On before finally going back home.
As mentioned earlier, the American Idol contestant was born with a degenerative disease called Leber congenital amaurosis that affects the retina. He was announced legally blind at six months old, and his vision further declined until he was 12.
Guardino's mother then got in with a Facebook support group that eventually led him to undergo a new type of gene therapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and gained a significant amount of his vision back.
In an interview with Fox News, the American Idol contestant opened up about his struggles with the condition and said:
“Growing up, it was always hard for me to see anything, so that vision that I did have, I had to really work to use it. I remember growing up and not being able to do as many things as everyone else was able to do. They’d be playing all these games, and all I remember is sitting with my parents by a light inside the house.”
The contestant also revealed that he has been grateful for everything since he received gene therapy. He said:
“I have been able to see such incredible things since the gene therapy, like the moon, the stars, the sunsets, fireworks, snow falling - just so many things that I have had the opportunity to witness. And I can’t take any of those things for granted."
The ABC's American Idol contestant enjoys an active social media life with close to 24K followers on Instagram and 11K on Twitter. The singer regularly posts videos of him covering different songs and performing at various venues. Guardino has dropped two singles so far: Missing Part of Me in 2018 and Waiting in 2019.
